Five Reasons To Watch Hawaii Five-0

The biggest hit show of the fall 2010 primetime season is Hawaii Five-0, a remake of the popular 70's show starring Jack Lord, James MacArthur, Zulu Kauhi, and Kam Fong.

The modern reboot is a slicker, sexier show, starring Australian hottie Alex O'Loughlin (Moonlight, The Shield) as Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, Scott Caan (Ocean's Eleven, Gone in 60 Seconds) as Detective Danny "Danno" Williams, Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) as Detective Chin Ho Kelly, and Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica) as Detective Kono Kalakaua as members of an elite polite force given "immunity and means" by the governor of Hawaii to rid her islands of bad guys once and for all.

I usually write more about underdog shows such as the CW's Supernatural and SyFy's Merlin, but Hawaii Five-0 is such sheer fun to watch that I couldn't resist!

So, without further ado, here are my top five reasons to watch Hawaii Five-0:

Hawaii Five-0 has so many well known and talented guest stars and supporting cast members that every episode becomes a fun game of Guess That Actor.

A few of my favorite (so far) include:

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer's James Marsters as baddie Victor Hesse
• Masi Oka (Heroes, Get Smart) as medical examiner Max Bergman
• Jean Smart (24) as Governor Pat Jameson
• Adam Beach (Walker, Texas Ranger) as an ex Navy SEAL accused of murdering his wife
  
• Michelle Borth, familiar to my fellow Supernatural fans as Carmen in "What Is and What Should Never Be," as Lieutenant Catherine Rollins
• Kelly Hu (The Vampire Diaries) as Laura Hills, Governor Jameson's Public Safety Liaison
• Kevin Sorbo (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys) as Carlton Bass, a surfing mogul
• Emmanuelle Vaugier, another Supernatural alumna, as Erica Raines, a sexy assassin
  

I love a great character drama or romantic comedy as much as the next girl, but sometimes it's fun to just settle down to a good fist-fight or exploding car. Hawaii Five-0 has slick, fast-paced action scenes a-plenty, from flying tackles to cliff-top car chases to exploding buildings. Sweet!

Feminist that I am, I also like that Kono is getting as many great action scenes as the boys. Girl has a mean punch. :D

I love a good bickering couple. Romance, "bromance," or mortal enemies - it doesn't really matter to me, as long as there is snark.

Hawaii Five-0 has banter, bicker, and snark in spades thanks to a script that crackles with energy and vitality. I hesitate to call it a truly "smart" script, because some of the plots are so ridiculous they might qualify more as sci-fi than crime procedural, but so far the show is consistently fun ridiculous rather than dumb ridiculous, and doesn't insult your intelligence as some other tv shows and movies do.

Regardless, the dialogue is great, from the famous line "Book 'em, Danno" - a carryover from the original series - to the remake's hit exchange "Ever make it to double pretzel level?" "Triple banana, bitch," which is already available on t-shirts.

Steve: That is your cousin?
Chin: Choose your next words carefully.

Steve: This is densely layered ballistic glass, laminated onto a shield of resilient polycarbonate.
Danny: Why can't you just say "bulletproof?"

Danny: First you have to seek to understand before you can be enlightened.
Steve: I will literally pay you cash to stop talking.

Danny: I love pancakes in the afternoon.
Steve: I like pancakes.
Danny: You do? You seem more like napalm in the morning kind of guy.

Danny: Roads have asphalt and two lanes; this is dirt on a cliff.
Steve: Scared?
Danny: No, I'm not scared, I am rationally concerned!

Steve: I thought I told you to stay put.
McKay: Hmm. I'm an old man. I don't always hear so good.

Danny: So, if things go bad, which one do you want?
Steve: I'll take the ugly one.
Danny: That's good. They're both ugly.

Okay, I'm not even going to pretend not to be shallow here. Alex O'Loughlin, as you Moonlight fans already know, is a beautiful, beautiful man, and he looks much better with his short hairstyle here than he did in Moonlight.

Scott Caan and Daniel Dae Kim are also fine looking specimens of manhood, and Grace Park is a former model for a reason.

I could go on about this at some length, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words...

For more Alex O'Loughlin-y goodness, be sure to check out embitca's hub: Alex O'Loughlin. If you like tats, you may also enjoy her Alex O'Loughlin Tattoos hub, for pictures of the many real (and fake) tattoos adorning that fine body. ;)

Hawaii Five-0 is so gorgeously shot it might as well be a Hawaiian tourist brochure. If, like me, you've never been, you'll soak up the gorgeous blue water, lush hillsides, and tanned beach bodies, and dream. If you have been, you'll start saving up those pennies for a return trip!

Oh yeah, the music is good, too! ;)

Great guest stars, amazing action sequences, witty dialogue, and a cast that's hot like burning... it's all good, but for me the number one reason to watch Hawaii Five-0 is chemistry. No, not the kind with beakers and bunsen burners, although if you've ever wanted to learn how to detect metal atoms with iodine or mix up a Molotov cocktail, Hawaii 5-0 might just be your show. (Burn Notice is an even better bet, though.)

I'm talking about cast chemistry, character chemistry, team chemistry. For all their bickering, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that Steve and Danno are well on their way to heterosexual life partnerhood. There's also some nice moments between Chin and Kono, devoted cousins who stand by each other through thick and thin. The great chemistry between the four main characters hooked me on the show and will hopefully keep me coming back for many seasons of fun in the Hawaiian sun!

Do you agree my reasons? Disagree? Have anything to add?

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